All by Your Lonesome: Quarantine Edition

The Try Guys, a group of comedians on YouTube, recently uploaded a video called “The Try Guys Work From Home For 168 Hours,” and while it seems self-explanatory, it’s pretty enlightening.

This quarantine has taught us a lot of things, but the realization that productivity can be achieved through different means other than getting up and going to work is starting to break up our society’s preconceived notions of productivity. In the wake of such unprecedented times, the face of productivity is changing, and so is the way we approach work and the workplace.

The Try Guys commented on the importance of staying inside to practice social distancing, something we should all be practicing anyway, but they also stressed the importance of trying to keep your regular schedule. This means getting up at the usual time you might for classes or work, getting ready, and then going about your day.

Whether it’s getting work done or trying to fit in a workout, trying to keep your schedule the same is the key to productivity while social distancing. In the event that your schedule doesn’t quite look like the typical “rise and grind schedule,” that’s okay. There’s a ton of ways to be productive in the nontraditional way, especially when it comes to getting to relax a little bit.

You can catch up on your favorite TV shows and finish them, or you can start rewatching an iconic series from the beginning, such as Grey’s Anatomy. And, to be fair, Henry Cavill has never looked better in a wig than he has on The Witcher — something to feed your fictional, fantasy needs.

Another way to keep busy during social distancing is to keep and frequently write in a journal. It might sound silly, but you might look back on it in a few months when all of this is over and be glad you recorded some stuff. It wouldn’t even have to be about the news, per se, but it could be anything ranging from creative writing to sporadic collages, consisting of clippings from newspapers, etc. If you’re into crafty things and keeping your hands busy, then you might want to look up some crafts; basically, the Internet is your friend.

You can do puzzles, cook new recipes, try out TikTok if you haven’t already, try yoga with YouTube videos, play some board games, or even try out Zoom with your friends — it doesn’t always have to be for classes, right? Last but not least, not every day has to be a productive day. If you’re not feeling it or things get too serious, always remember to take a breather and/or a break. And, don’t forget to wash your hands!